Charles f



No. 772,488. PATBNTED new. 18, 1904 0. P. SPLITDOBP-L VIBRATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented October 18, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

VIBRATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,438, dated October 18, 1904.

Application filed January 23, 1904.. Serial No. 190,322. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. SrLrrnonna citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vibrators, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to circuit-breakers for induction-coils, and it pertains particularly to interrupter mechanism designed for use with the high-tension jump-spark coils employed in gas-engine ignition apparatus.

The purpose of my improvement is to provide a movable contact-carrier in the form of a tensional buffer for the armature, located in the line of magnetic attraction of the latter, and means whereby the hammering of said buffer by the armature imparts a degree of vibratory motion to the movable contact which may be increased or diminished by regulating the tension of said buffer.

In brief, my invention consists of a strip or ribbon of thin spring metal carrying the usual movable contact that forms one of the electrodes in circuit-interrupting mechanism of this class, said spring being rigidly held at its opposite ends under a desired degree of tension, and means for regulating such tension, together with an armature in the field of an electromagnet, said armature having a rigid connection adapted to hammer said spring to separate the movable contact from the usual fixed contact and to set up a vibratory interrupter action in said spring.

In the drawings accompanying this application, Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of a coil-casing, showing my improved interrupter mechanism mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is a detail of the vibrator-spring employed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the armature drawn partially toward the electromagn st and the contact separate. Fig. 4 is a detailed plan view of the armature and its support.

The letter A indicates a coil-casing, and B the core of the coil, forming an electromagnet.

Mounted upon the casing A is the usual bridge C, carrying the adjusting-screw D, provided with the contact-point d. An armature, as E, is secured at one end to a mount,

as F, and is supported in the field of the electromagnet, as usual. The movable contact, as g, is borne by a ribbon or strip of thin spring metal, as G, which latter is located between the adj Listing-screw and armature, being secured at one end to a rigid mount, as g, its opposite end being suitably held and provided with means for increasing or diminishing the tension of said spring. The mountF is recessed at one side to receive the armature E, which is secured in said recess, and said mount is recessed at its opposite side for the reception of spring G, a convex bearing-surface, as 6, being formed in said recess for said spring. A plate, as H, is secured upon mount F to serve. as a guide for spring G, and said plate has a rearward extension h, provided with a threaded aperture, in which is placed a screw I, whose diminished end t' enters a hole 9 in the extremity of. spring G. Thus the spring G is held between mount g and screw I, and the tension of said spring may be regulated by turning said screw I. Turning the screw I in one direction has the effect of depressing the end of spring G that projects beyond the mount F, thereby drawing said spring taut and giving it a requisite degree of tension, while turning the screw in the other direction serves to relax such tension. The means shown for regulating the degree of tension imparted to the spring and for locking the screw in a set position form the subject of another application concurrent herewith, Serial No. 190,321, filed January 23, 1904., and are therefore not described herein.

A stud J, having a head 1', is mounted upon the armature E and is adapted to protrude through a slot g in spring G, being entered through an enlargement of said slot and operatively adjusted, so that said spring is in the path of said stud-head j to be hammered thereby in the movement of the armature when attracted by the. elec'tromagnet.

In the operative arrangement of the parts indicated the spring G is seen to be supported in approximate parallelism with the armature E, and said spring is disposed about centrally between the armature and the head j, the space separating spring G and head 3' being less than the space separating armature E and core B. Thus upon energizing the electro- Inagnet the armature in its attracted movement toward the core B causes the stud-head j to strike or hammer the spring, which vibrates at a speed commensurate with the degree of tension set or adjusted therein, there by making and breaking contact between the contacts 9 (Z many times in the course of such armature movement. The armature E in its return movement upon demagnetization of the core B strikes or hammers the vibrating spring G, serving the double purpose of limiting the outward. path of the armature and r of maintaining the vibratory action of the spring.

It is a matter of common knowledge to those familiar with the art to which this invention pertains that the greater the speed of vibration of the circuit-interrupter the hotter and more intense is the resultant shower of sparks produced between the opposed second ary electrodes. Hence the importance of means tending to increase the speed of vibration. Further, the vibratory character of a spring that is free at one end deteriorates with usage and can only be measurably restored through a change in the position of the vibrator relatively to other coacting parts, whereas, as is evident, a strip or strand that tory character for a longer period, and because the full elasticity of the medium isrendered available the speed of the vibrations is largely augmented, this being particularly the result when the strip or ribbon is drawn more tightly between its holders. An apt illustration of the foregoing may be made by refer ring to a musical stringed instrument, a string of which on being tightened and continuously struck will produce an ascending scale of sound during its progressive speed of vibramovement of the armature, and also other means of lncreaslng or diminishing the tenslon ot the spring may be employed without departing from the essence of my vinvention.

I claim 1. A vibrator or interrupter for inductioncoils consisting of a contact-bearing spring sustained at separate points from opposite supports in the path of an independent electromagnetically-operated armature.

2. Avibrator or interrupter for inductioncoils consisting of a contact-bearing spring sus' tained at separate points from opposite sup ports in the path of an independent electromagnetically-operated armature, and means for tightening or slackening said spring between said supports to increase or diminish mounted to vibrate in its magnetic field, a

fixed contact, a vibrator or interrupter spring carrying a movable contact, supports for said spring at opposite sides of said movable contact, mean-s operated by said armature in its movement for hammering said spring, and means for tightening or slackening said spring between said supports to increase or diminish its speed of vibration.

5. A vibrator or interrupter for inductioncoils consisting of a contact-bearing spring fiX- edly held at one point and adjustably held at another point and supported in position to be hammered intermediate said points by an electromagnetically-operated armature.

Signed-at New York this 19th day of J anuary, 1904:.

CHARLES F. SPLITDORF.

Witness es F. W. BARKER, FREDERICK C. BoNNY. 

